His True Identity
by chxmilan
Summary: Murder's afoot! Conan, Mouri, and the police must find out the culprit. A surprising twist follows uncovering a dark secret that if revealed threatens to forever change the lives of those living in Mouri Detective Agency.
1. Chapter 1

**_HIS TRUE IDENTITY_**

_Ok. I know I shouldn't do this as I have already another story I must update and I have loads of work but this idea popped into my head and I have to write it down before I forget. This is inspired by a 1950s radio show I was listening to and its really mind-twisting. Its not all that long. Enjoy, comment, rate, review. _

He waited for what seemed like ages in the darkly lit alleyway. He lit up another cigarette and wished the man would just hurry up. He hated waiting but more important, he hoped his cigarettes would last him long enough until the man would show up. _I wonder what he could possibly want to talk to me about. We weren't supposed to meet this early. _Suddenly he heard a rattling noise. Startled, he turned towards the sound. A gunshot ran out.

"Neh Ran, there's a new pachinko parlor that just opened up. How about we take a look round?" Mouri Kogorou asked his daughter sweetly.

"Otouusan! It's late and Conan-kun has to get to bed. Did you forget he has school tomorrow?

"Hehehehe" Conan laughed.

Just then the sound of gunshot was heard. True to form, both Conan and Mouri ran after the sound with Ran trailing.

"Otouusan! Conan-kun! Are you sure it's safe? What if the murderer is still lurking around?" Ran's worried voice yelled behind them but to no avail.

They came into a small alleyway and found a man lying dead, pools of blood scattered everywhere. He wore green running clothes stained by the color of red.

"Ran, can the police. Hey brat! How many times do I have to tell you to stop loitering around the scene? Keep doing that and I won't be able to do my famous deductions. Sheesh!"

"Hai! Conan ran away checking out the alleyway for signs of witnesses.

"Looks like it was too dark for any witnesses." Conan mused.

The police came and roped off the area from any curious bystanders. Inspector Megure walked over to Mouri.

"Ah Mouri-kun. I had a feeling you would be here. Looks like you never fail to be the first at a crime scene. You should be careful before people start running away from you, Mr. Angel of Death."

"It's ok. People run away from oji-san anyway because of his bad alcoholic breath," Conan replied to Inspector Megure.

"Why YOU!" Mouri ran after Conan but the little weasel was just a little faster.

"Inspector Megure! It seems by the lack of rigor mortis and Mouri-san's statement, we can judge the time to be within this 30 min span. We have not yet identified him, but we can assume he was jogging at this time and was living in this area. We are looking for any witnesses but because it was too dark here, we may not find any." Takagi gave his report.

"I think he was a writer!" Conan's little voice replied.

"Eh really Conan-kun? Do you recognize this man?

"Mnnmmm. See his left sleeve? Its shiny meaning he rested his hand there for long periods of time. Also, his right hand's thumb and forefinger's nails are darkened meaning he used a writing utensil a lot. So he could only be a writer, right?"

"Wow Conan-kun! Amazing! You really know a lot. No wonder Mouri-san takes you to crime scenes with him everywhere." Takagi replied clearly amazed.

"Hmmm! I don't take him anywhere. The brat just puts his nose where it doesn't belong. Besides, any idiot could know that. Let's get down to real police business." Mouri crossed his arms clearly annoyed by Conan's butting in all the time trying to be smarter than the Great Sleeping Detective himself.

Takagi left to get the dead man's identity from neighbors and perhaps witnesses if they were lucky.

"Obviously, Inspector Megure, this is just a killing for money. He was out jogging when someone saw him and taking advantage, shot him and took away all his money. Just another random shooting, not a crime to be solved by Sleeping Kogorou unfortunately." Mouri told Megure excitedly.

"We'll just wait for Takagi's report before we make any haste moves but it looks like it."

"Ah-le-le!" Conan suddenly burst out.

Mouri had had enough with Conan's butting in. He picked him and yelled in his ear, "What's with ah-le-le AGAIN?"

"Ahhh! Ojisan!" Conan recovered from his ringing ear before continuing, "Isn't it weird that he was smoking while jogging? Look at all the cigarettes on the floor. There's about 9-10. Even Uncle, who's a heavy smoker, doesn't smoke that much when he jogs, if he jogs. It's almost as if he was waiting for someone before he was shot. But that can't be true, right ojisan?" Conan waited patiently for them to understand.

"Inspector Megure! This man was clearly waiting for someone as shown by the number of cigarettes he smoked just in one spot. Thus, the man he was waiting is our murderer! This is not a money motive as you police originally thought. However, never fear! Sleeping Kogorou is on the job!" Mouri smiled at Megure while pounding his chest with his fist.

"Your right Mouri-kun. I'll let Takagi know and have him round up some suspects."


	2. Chapter 2

_how'd you all like the chapter so far? _

**_CH 2_**

Some minutes later, 3 suspects stood in front of Mouri and Inspector Megure.

Takagi pointed to a tall, slim woman about 30, wearing a red evening dress fiddling with her purse. She wore a mask covering her mouth.

"This is Tsuke Minami-san. She works as a secretary in a small transporting company 3 blocks from here. Witnesses say she was having a heated argument with the victim just yesterday. It seems…"

Mouri raised a hand. "Hold on Takagi. You haven't told us anything about the victim at all. How can you expect me to solve this case if you don't do your job properly."

"uh.. hai! My apologies. The victim is 43 year old Toyama Akai-san. He works as a writer here in Beika district. His work involves writing scripts for a small TV company and was recently asked to write a script for a special on Nichiuri TV. Minami-san owed the victim 3 million yen and was told to pay by today or lose her house. At the time of death, she was waiting for a friend in a restaurant but was gone for 10 min or so and does not have a solid alibi for the whole time."

"I keep telling you it was 1 million! That bastard added a hefty interest for no reason at all. I was just telling him that I would only pay him 1 million and that's it! I had no reason to kill him!" Minami yelled at Takagi.

"And now you won't even have to pay him a cent. How lucky for you that he suddenly turns up dead." Mouri replied smugly.

"What did you say?" She yelled back at him.

"Anyways, this is Marafushi Kogorou-san. He is the producer for the special Toyama-san was writing for. They were often seen arguing about the script. Marafushi-san felt it was too explicit for the viewers and did not like the way the characters were depicted."

Marafushi was a short, bald man about the same height as Minami. He wore a blue vest over gray pants and was smoking an imported Cuban cigar.

"How can that man expect me to shoot something like what he wrote? It was absolutely unacceptable." Marafushi retorted.

"He does not have an alibi. He claims that he was at home alone smoking from 7 pm until now."

The last suspect was a tall, young man wearing green jogging clothes. He seemed to enjoy what was happening around him.

"This is Yamada Keiji-san. He is an actor who was supposed to be in the special. However, he was dropped out at the last minute due to conflicts with the victim. He was jogging in the area around the time of death but again there are no witnesses who saw him for the entire time span."

"Why are you wearing the same clothes as the victim?" Megure asked curiously.

Yamada intertwined his fingers through his hair. "I suppose there is no harm in telling you. I was flattering the man, that's all. I wanted to let him think his taste in clothes was exquisite, which as you can see it was not. I even went to the trouble of jogging with him every night. That's all for naught. I should have just waited for him to die." He laughed.

"Oh? Jogging with him every night?" Mouri repeated just to make sure he heard clearly.

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?" Yamada answered practically laughing.

"You'd know his routine pretty well, wouldn't you?"

"I suppose you. Easy for me to kill him, is that what you're saying?"

Mouri said nothing but stood silent for a minute thinking it out before turning to Inspector Megure and blurting out "I know who did it!"

"Really Mouri-kun? You aren't sleeping yet. Are you sure this isn't one of those hack deductions you come up with at the beginning before completely changing?" Megure asked suspiciously as he'd been through it a bit too much for his tastes.

"No, no. The killer is none other than Minami-san! Don't you find it odd, Inspector that she seems dressed to go out but is wearing a sick mask? Shouldn't she be in bed resting? Perhaps that mask is only to hide any blood that spurted on her."

"You're crazy! Who the hell are you? Stop pretending to be a detective which you clearly are not! Are you telling me that you've never been out while sick?" Minami yelled in an outrage.

Mouri just walked over to her and pulled out her mask only to find it completely clean. In spite, she coughed on him hard.

"You fool! I'll have you taken to court for that! If you're going to make me out to be the murderer, at least have some proof!" Minami grabbed her mask back and put it back on.

Clearly ashamed of Mouri's actions, Megure pulled him aside.

"You shouldn't have done that. But what's done is done. Anyway, for my money, I think its that Yamada-san. He knows the victim's routine by heart and seems very happy by the death of Toyama-san. Of course, we don't have any proof but we'll have to keep a close eye on him. Maybe he'll be caught discarding any leftover evidence."

Takagi spoke up. "I think it could be Marafushi-san. We've just received a report that around the time of death, he emailed another script writer congratulating him on getting the job. It seems he was aware of the death of Toyama-san."

"Have any of the suspects been seen close to the scene?" Megure asked.

"Hai. All 3 were seen within a one-mile radius of here but neither was seen talking to each other and neither have a solid alibi."

"I still think that Minami is suspicious."

A forensics man came up to Megure and spoke to him.

When he left, Megure addressed the group "Alright, forensics say that judging by the bullet entry it was done by someone at least 178 cm (5ft 8 in). However, it would be quite easy to mask that in this open. In short, we can't rule out any one of them. It looks like we'll have to let them go for now and take them down to the station tomorrow."

_Quick challenge! See if you can name the true culprit and why. The answer might surprise you! _

_ps: doesn't it always seem like out of hundreds/thousands of people, the police always end up with 3 suspects to choose from.  
_


	3. Chapter 3

Frustrated by not having solved the case quickly, Mouri walked away from the group and towards where the body used to be. Something shined about 100 yards of him caught his eye. He went towards it and what he found nearly had him falling down. He frowned and held it gingerly. Quickly he looked back at the group and then back to what he was holding. _It couldn't be, it just couldn't. How_ _could that person kill? _It seemed all too impossible.

Mouri looked around but found nothing else of help. He promised himself to come back here tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Conan after listening to the report from the police, he tried to get closer to the scene to find any implicating evidence that might lead to the implication of the murderer. At that moment, a strong wind blew causing Ran to reach out and hold on tightly to Conan for warmth.

"Ran-neechan! I need to go to the toilet." Conan pleaded hoping his chance would not go away.

"It's ok Conan-kun. You can go when we get home. Looks like Otousan is almost done. Besides, you will protect me, won't you?" Ran tilted her head and smiled at him. Conan knew it would to futile to protest. Ran wouldn't change her mind not at this late hour.

Early the next day, Mouri left before dawn so as to not wake any of them up and worry them. He then met with Megure and explained the situation. Megure frowned understanding the seriousness of Mouri's accusations. If this were true, it would be one long day. Megure nodded and then spoke to his subordinates. By 3pm, everything was set and it would soon be time to reveal the murderer. Somehow, in Mouri's heart, he wished for the first time, it wasn't him who'd be in the police station revealing the culprit. Mouri sat in Poirot café and contemplated what he would do. He felt so uneasy; he couldn't even enjoy the horse races. Despite his conflicting heart, he knew this is what he must do, what he was prepped to do since he was just an officer.

Mouri rose up and headed slowly towards the police station where the three suspects along with Ran and Conan awaited him. He had to tread lightly on this delicate matter.

"Mouri-kun, thank you for coming. Everything is ready as you wished." Megure then lowered his voice. "Please go about this as lightly as possible. I didn't want to believe it but you may be right. I suppose we can't hold it off any longer."

Conan readied his watch in case Mouri made a fool of himself as was often the case. He himself didn't know how he would save Mouri from embarrassment but he'd have to try something.

Mouri looked at Conan and Ran. "What are you two doing here? This police station isn't for kids. Whatever it's too late now. Inspector we'll just have to go into the other room. Takagi, Chiba, I'm counting on you two to make sure they don't do anything stupid."

"HAI!"

Conan knew he had to get in with the police somehow. He had to know who the police thought the culprit was and what they had prepared but it was impossible in this small room with two police officers and Ran watching. If only he hadn't had school today, he'd know what Mouri had been up to. It seemed to get harder and harder to gather information from these police. Perhaps they had begun to figure out he was helping them all along. Nah, thought Conan. They haven't gotten that smart yet. He decided there was nothing he could do and would just have to wait until Mouri came out.

Minutes seemed like hours and still the police and Mouri hadn't come back yet. Chiba received a phone call and he too left.

"Neh, Takagi keiji, can I go to the toilet? I have to go really badly." Conan pleaded.

"Sorry Conan-kun. Orders are to have no one leave this room. You'll just have to hold it in a bit longer."

This was the second time in as many days Conan had been denied a trip to the bathroom. He shuddered to think what he would do if he really had to go. For now, the wait was becoming unbearable and there seemed nothing he could do about it. He looked at Takagi. Why was Takagi acting so differently? Usually Takagi would let Conan go and then beg Conan not to tell anyone. Now Takagi seemed firm and constantly looking out the doorway. Conan thought about it. It seemed everyone was acting differently but he couldn't figure out why. Then he thought, _there's no way they could possibly know...NO_. Conan shook his head and surmised it to be paranoia due to the wait.

Chiba came back and asked Ran to come with him. He stated Sato-san had something she wanted to say to Ran, woman to woman.

"Mmmmm," Takagi stretched his arms. "Conan-kun, I'm going to get something to eat. I'll lock this door so you don't scared that murderers will come to get you, ok?"

"Hai!" How could Conan get scared when he wasn't even a little kid but of course Takagi wouldn't know that. He was getting used to being treated like a kid but it could be such a bother at critical times.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as Takagi left, Mouri and Inspector Megure came in.

"Ah, ojisan. Who was the culprit?" Conan asked eargerly.

"I suppose we should tell you Conan since you are a witness."

Mouri paused then continued. "You see, we have three suspects all with motives. You know already this information. Now, I thought given the information at the time that it was Minami-san. Inspector Megure here thought it was Marafushi-san. However, due to lack of evidence we were forced to continue the next day. With me so far?"

Conan nodded. He knew all this and hated that they wouldn't just spill out what he'd wanted to hear. He continued waiting patiently knowing that sooner or later, Mouri would finally reveal the information Conan needed to know.

"This would continue a guessing game unless we could find something concrete to pin on someone. That's when yours truly found something crucial and when I realized that both the inspector and I were wrong."

"So it was Yamada-san?" Conan interjected hoping Mouri would move along faster. This was getting tiresome even for him.

"That would be the logical thinking. Yamada would be the only culprit left if there was only ONE culprit. There was yet another one who was standing in our midst whom everyone failed to recognize. That is our murderer we were searing for and murderer is none other than _**you**__,_ Conan."

Conan's jaw dropped. Mouri had officially begun to act crazy after all the alcohol and cigarettes his body had to endure. He turned his attention to Inspector Megure.

"Megure ke…"

"Hold on, Conan-kun. Listen to what Mouri-kun has to say first." He looked at Mouri, clearly uneasy with what Mouri was saying and going to say.

Mouri continued his monologue. "Conan-kun, I would never have suspected you if I hadn't found that something crucial I mentioned earlier. About 100 yards from the victim's body, I found this." He held up something in a plastic bag. "This is that button-dial thing from you left shoe. I had it confirmed with Agasa and you are the only one who owns those pairs in the _world._"

Instinctively, Conan looked at his left shoe. Indeed it was missing. He hadn't realized it since he didn't use his kick shoes often and not since last month. He grinned.

"Ojisan, you forget that I was at the crime scene with you. I was a witness remember? I must have wandered off again. Hehehehe." He put his arms around the back of his head.

Mouri just shook his head. "I was hoping you would confess quicker Conan-kun. It would make things a lot easier, you know." He replied softly, different from his usual load voice.

"Ojisan, I was taught only criminals should confess. And I have an alibi unlike the rest of the suspects. I was with you in the restaurant the whole time, remember? When we heard the gunshot, I was definitely walking with you and Ran-neechan. There's no way I could have done it. I guess you're wrong again ojisan. Maybe you should go to sleep to solve it." He was still grinning. Ojisan was definitely going crazy.

Mouri stared at Conan. He knew it was a difficult task to get Conan to confess but he had wished it wouldn't be so. He now thought with a heavy heart that it was time to give the final blow. Conan was asking for it with his smug grin.

"When you have just one suspect in mind, it becomes very easy to find evidence against him. As for your alibi, you weren't with us the whole time, were you? You went to the bathroom once for 7 min or so, more than enough time to kill Toyama-san and come back to join us. It was also in the 30 min window. Besides that, we have concrete evidence proving a 7-year old did kill Toyama-san."

"Ojisan, I was WITH you when he died. We heard the gunshot too." Conan protested.

"That is our concrete evidence. We believed he died then but he hadn't actually. He died way before that. The gunshot we heard was just a kid's firework in a can timed perfectly to go off at that time. From a distance, it feels like a gunshot is actually being fired. On that can and firework, we found your fingerprints on it. It's been confirmed to be a perfect match."

"That's impossible! I'm absolutely sure I used a napkin when I was handling that…" Conan closed his mouth. He couldn't believe he let that stupid Mouri Kogorou trick him like that. It was all over now.

"Will you confess now, Conan-kun?" Megure asked gently.

Conan just turned his head away fuming that he'd let these two figure him out like that. He was absolutely sure it was perfect that he'd completely ignored all the warning signs; Takagi's looks, taking away Ran, cornering him in a small room like that. It was so simple and perfect yet Mouri had figured it out so quickly. The same Mouri he had to bail out every time a case came up. The same Mouri who he'd help become a great detective known throughout Japan. This bungling idiot had uncovered the Great Detective of the East's plan so easily.

He sighed. "Yes I killed him. It's not like he didn't deserve it. He got what was coming to him." Conan replied without the slightest hint of remorse.

"Conan-kun! Do you really think anyone can just kill and not have to pay? What happened to you Conan-kun?" Megure asked not liking Conan's approach to his confession.

Mouri then spoke, "'Remember this boy. This plan may have been very simple and easy to execute and led you into thinking you could get away with it as there's not much to overlook. However, with every evil deed you create, be sure at least one will be unearthed."

Mouri spoke up again, this time the words hurting his very depths. "I only regret having taken you to all those crime scenes. I feel responsible for ruining you fragile childhood. I did not realize just how much these scenes would haunt you into taking someone else's life."

Something inside Conan snapped. He lost it.

"You know what? You think you can just stand there and judge me? Well, you can't. There are times when a man has to step aside his morals and do what's right!" Conan banged the table hard. "I was not going to stand aside and let him… let him… Oh! What would you idiots know?"

_WOW! I can't believe time goes by so fast! Last chapter coming up soon. Suprised much? _


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok ok, the long awaited (i hope) final chapter is here. If this gets too long, I may to cut it up into 2 parts like a special. **

**(To the reviewer who thought it was an april fool's joke, lmao. I had no idea I had updated the last ch. on that day but its not. sorry to disappoint you. I wouldn't need to post this ch. if it were but that would have been a nice plot...ah well. This will be just as good.)  
**

A deathly silence followed for several minutes before Megure got the courage to speak. "Conan-kun, what did he do?"

Conan laughed inside. _Look at this idiot thinking he can understand me. He just doesn't know what's it's like to fear for your loved one. _He gritted his teeth and would not tell them no matter how much Megure had used to be a family friend.

"Conan-kun?" Megure asked again.

Conan-kun just looked at him and then at Mouri. He spoke slowly, "How did you come to suspect me? I was sure you weren't the type to start following where the evidence leads, more like where your heart leads you."

Mouri felt his anger building. His pride had been hurt by a mere 7-year old, no less a murderer. "Hmmm, its what Ran kept saying over and over in her sleep. 'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' I think it was Ranpo who wrote that but that's besides the point. What Ran said was right, when I found evidence pointing to you and..." he paused thinking in his head "_I couldn't decide between those three suspects. They all seemed murderers but not either. When I found that button thingy, what else was I supposed to do? Pretend it didn't exist and point to one of those three hoping for the best? No way not as my pride as a world famous detective. But it's not like I'll tell Megure or Conan that. Its best he thinks I knew all along to deter him from any other murders. _

While Mouri fell into a deep thinking phase, Conan almost lost it. How in the world did he let this idiot who didn't even know that famous quote ever find him out like that. He bared his teeth then relaxed. It was too late now to turn back now. After all, he was always a optimist; he'd have to deal the hand he was given and get it over with. He hoped Ran would forgive him more than anything else.

"Eh Mouri-kun, would you like to continue? Mouri-kun?" Megure waved his hands in front of Mouri snapping him out of his reverie.

"Huh? oh yeah, Anyways as I was saying, I don't yet know know your motive but your plan was easy to deduce. What happened was it was you who suggested that restaurant if I remember correctly. You tried to use me as an alibi. Somehow you convinced Toyama-san to come out. When you found..."

Conan smiled knowing they would never know how he had lured Toyama to that spot. His mind flashed back to when he first met Toyama-san.

_FLASHBACK_

_"Neh Conan-kun! You were supposed to catch the ball. Go get it!" Ayumi yelled at him. _

_"HAI!" Frankly, he was getting tired of playing baseball and wished they would play football (soccer for everyone else out there) instead. _

_When retrieving the ball, he saw a long overcoat hanging there on the park bench. A man was walking away having just woken from sleep. Conan smiled wondering what it was the man had been dreaming about that he'd forget his own belongings. Conan ran over to the bench and picked it up. "Damn." The coat was too big for him and contents from the pockets spilled out. Conan bent down to pick it up. What he saw completely shocked him out of his senses. He looked back at the man walking away and then at what he has holding. Uncontrollable anger filled him. Wild thoughts flew though his head and he couldn't stop them. Finally he resolved to do the one thing he felt he had to do, to protect **her**. _

_"Hey, ojisan! You left your coat!" Conan yelled. A man in his 40s turned around. He stared, then smiled at Conan. _

_"Why thank you, little boy. I'd buy you ice cream but I'm running late." He replied._

_"Aww!" Genta sighed. The three kids had come running up behind Conan with Haibara trailing. Conan laughed knowing his plan had been set in motion quite well. He had put both a tracking and listening device on the man's coat so he'd know who this man was and what he was doing with the contents in his pockets._

_FORWARD TO DAY OF MURDER_

_Conan had convinced Uncle and Ran to go to a nearby restaurant near where Toyama lived. He'd figured out what Toyama did for a living and this was the only time to complete his plan for good. Using a pay phone, he called Toyama-san. Using the voice changer to be Toyama's production manager, Conan had asked him to meet in the alleyway near Beika Park. Luckily, Toyama had not been the least bit suspicious as to the time and meeting place. It seemed like he was expecting it. Conan took this a sign to continue with his plan. He'd gotten this far; he couldn't stop now._

_They'd gotten to the restaurant and starting eating without Ran or Uncle being the least bit suspicious of what Conan had been up to. After Conan had gotten halfway through eating, he checked his watch. _

_"Ran-neechan! I have to go to the bathroom! Ok?" Ran nodded and Conan went into the men's room. He'd already inspected this restaurant before and knew about the window. He slipped out of the men's room under the cover of darkness. Conan ran over to the meeting spot a little ahead of the arranged time._

_He chose a good high spot. It was about 4 meters away from the alleyway with a clear view. Conan looked up at the sky watching for any signs of rain. He breathed. Good. Even the weather seemed to be on his side. There was no moon out yet it was such a clear night, just perfect for what he was to do. _

_Five minutes later, Toyama still hadn't shown up. Conan began to get antsy. What if Toyama had become suspicious? What if he had spoken to the real producer and found out this was a fake? What if... he shook his head fully prepared for a plan B. But there was no need for that. Toyama came jogging up to the meeting spot. He took out a cigarette and began puffing, impatiently walking in circles. Conan stared at him for a long time. He smiled letting Toyama enjoy his last minutes of life. Conan knew this was what Toyama was asking for, for doing what he did. Toyama had to pay for it; there was no other way around it. Well Toyama, just giving you a taste of your own medicine. Conan reached inside and pulled out a .38 caliber pistol using a napkin from the restaurant. He checked to make sure it was loaded with just one bullet. That was all he needed. Conan looked about making sure no one was around to hear the sound. He couldn't have Toyama's body found so quickly. Conan picked up a rock, then hesitated. Should he do this? Could he do this? He'd never been on this side of the fence before. He felt breathless and almost unnerved. Then he remembered what this man had probably done, what he would do. With precise aim, Conan threw the rock having it hit one of the garbage cans. Toyama became startled. He turned towards Conan trying to discern where the sound came from. Perfect. Conan had a perfect view of Toyama's heart. He pulled the trigger closing his eyes. A loud sound was heard and Toyama's body fell with a crunch. Conan held his breath but no one came to inspect the sound. Someone poked his head out a dirty window but went back inside dismissing it as a cat fight. Conan dared not go near the body even though he was fairly confident he wouldn't be found out. He waited for Toyama to make any sound. He didn't and Conan knew he was truly dead. The thought of killing someone was actually exhilarating almost making Conan hungry for more. He shook his head knowing this wasn't who he was. This wasn't technically a murder, after all, he was doing to be better protect **her. **_

_Conan shook himself and quickly moved away. He'd have to hurry or else Ran would come looking for him and that's definitely what he did not want. Conan found an old tin can, careful not to leave any prints. He took out a firecracker Ayumi had given him. He set it up timing it perfectly to when he, Ran, and Mouri would walk this way. Conan ran over to a small hole underneath an old woman's clothing line on the way to the restaurant and hid his gun there. He knew the police would never to look there. Oh shoot! He was running out of time. He ran hard back to the restaurant. He slipped back in through the window. He flushed the napkin down the toilet. He opened the door where a line had already started forming as this was the only men's bathroom. Conan rejoined the group and started eating pretending all that happened within the last 10 minutes had never occurred. They were none the wiser. Conan kept checking his watch and Ran noticed this. _

_"What's wrong, Conan-kun? Are you waiting for someone? IS it someone special?" She asked inquiringly._

_"No Ran-neechan. I'm just worried if I can get up early for school tomorrow." _

_"AH! Otou-san! Let's go! Hurry up!"_

_"ok ok, Ran I'm just having my last beer, ok?" He gulped it down and they walked out the door. _

_Conan laughed inwardly pleased how well he could manipulate them. Conan realized they were walking in the other direction to get home and he ran the other way. _

_"Conan-kun! What are you doing?" _

_"Ah! This way is much easier. Plus Ojisan there's a new pachinko parlor around here."_

_"Neh Ran, there's a new pachinko parlor that just opened up. How about we take a look round?" Mouri Kogorou asked his daughter sweetly. _

_Conan looked at his watch. Just a little bit more and he could finally breath normally again._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

Mouri was still rambling on.

"So you see, it wouldn't be hard even for a little boy Conan's age these days to get his hands on a gun. Perhaps online?"

_You're wrong, ojisan. Try an unregistered hand gun I swiped from the Black Organization. _

"That could easily be found out although I hardly think its necessary considering Conan here already confessed._"_

_"_Humph! And if I hadn't? I doubt if your story about finding that button from my shoes would hold up well." Again, Conan cursed himself for falling for Mouri's trap about the fingerprints.

"Want it tough huh? Al right, what truly got me suspicious is that I saw morning glory stuck to your clothing when we were walking towards that alleyway. You too should know that morning glory is found in sparse parts of Japan and this is one of them. If you hadn't been here before, would you explain how that type of plant got there when it wasn't before you left the house?"

Conan mentally cursed himself. How did he get so careless? Were all new criminals this dumb? Did the thought of killing Toyama affect his senses that much? He groaned now fully aware that maybe his plan wouldn't have succeeded no matter what.

After a long silence, Megure spoke finally able to gather his voice, "Conan-kun, what did he do that you had no other choice but to kill him?"

Conan knew there was no turning back. It was all over.

"You wanna know, huh? I'll tell you for your curiosity. I found that man spying on Ran. Her pictures were in his coat pocket he left behind in the park. They were very detailed almost as if he was waiting for something. I would never forgive myself if he hurt her, if he… if he raped her!" All this came rushing out so Conan took a breath to steady himself before continuing quietly, "I did what anyone in my position would have done. I killed him, nice and quiet to make sure he doesn't hurt Ran ever."

"Conan-kun! You're just a little boy! How can you have feelings like that? Enjoy life as a young, wondrous little boy. Besides, you know Ran can more than take care of herself." Megure said in disbelief. He couldn't believe such a little boy could have such feelings and to commit murder for it was just something extraordinary, something he hadn't seen in all his years as a police officer.

Mouri couldn't believe it either. He stood almost in shock but he soon regained himself. "Conan, there's something you should know about that man. I didn't know of it either until late today. Lately, there's a sharp rise in student substance abuse. Eri and I were worried about Ran and Eri implored me to get someone to tail Ran for even just a day. I asked a friend of mine to ask someone who wouldn't cast suspicions since Ran knows most, if not all, my friends. Toyama-san was that man and was happy to do it as my owed my friend a favor. I was only told today because his death just aired on the news." Mouri waited a beat letting this sink in. "Conan-kun, he never meant to hurt Ran. He was actually helping us out. It was just your misunderstanding."

Conan couldn't believe this. Surely they were lying. They were just trying to make Toyama a better man than he was. But the absurdity of it all, that he could make a mistake in misunderstanding the situation, seemed to somehow make sense. Hadn't he just made a crucial mistake just moments ago? Conan began laughing, a strange cackling laughter sounding almost foreign even to his ears.

"I knew I should have killed you Kogorou. You were always problematic for me. Hmmmhahahaha!" He continued laughing hysterically. It was all for nothing. He'd heard that sentence somewhere before and then he remembered Yamada had uttered it first just yesterday. It seemed so long ago.

A group of policemen along with Takagi, Satou, and Chiba came to take Conan away.

Megure spook to him one last time. "Conan-kun, they're going to take you away to a hospital where you can live a happy childhood without murders and cases, ok? When you get better, you can visit Ran and your friends."

Conan stayed where he was. _In his heart, he had also prepared for this moment. He knew had gone too far and there was no turning back. He was helpless to stop what was surely to happen._

Conan smiled sadly. It was time to say goodbye to everything and everyone he had known_. _

_**End of Part One. Got a little longer than I had anticipated. Enjoy the 'special'.**  
_


	6. Chapter 6

**Part TWO:**

"I'm sorry, ojisan. Inspector Megure, everyone for causing you pain. Goodbye, you guys and keep doing what you are doing as policemen. Ojisan, could you say goodbye to Ran for me? I regret I won't have a chance to say it to her personally._"_

"Hey, hey, Conan-kun. No need to be so depressed. You can come back when you're feeling much better. There's no need for a goodbye." Mouri said quickly trying to cheer Conan's spirits.

Conan shook his head. "You misunderstand me, ojisan. I'm not going to come back. EVER."

"What, Conan-kun?" Everyone asked perplexed.

In response to their questioning eyes, Conan pulled out a bottle.

"This is what I mean." He pulled a pill out of the bottle he had stolen from Haibara's lab and brought it close it to his mouth.

"What I've done is completely unacceptable. It totally regrettable. I would never be able to forgive myself as a detective; my pride won't let me. Plus Ran would never accept what I've done and I could never live with that. I... I love her and I can't stand how she would feel if she ever found out. I'm sorry, this is the only way to bring happiness to everyone."

"Hold on Conan-kun!" Megure shouted! "Think about this! Ran won't find out. We'll make sure of it. You can get better, you know you can. We'll all be there supporting you the whole way." Megure pleaded with him praying he would come to his senses and change his mind.

Everyone was shocked at this turn of events and no one dared move fearing an awful chain reaction.

Conan just at each of them knowing full well how futile their pleading eyes were. Just like he felt he had to kill Toyama-san, he now had to kill himself. He had accepted surrender and now with this truth known to everyone in the room, he would always be reminded of his actions and would never be able to live himself. This was the only way, Conan convinced himself although he hardly needed convincing.

Conan placed the pill in his mouth and closed his eyes. He swallowed and opened his eyes. He looked at Mouri's pale face and said one last time, "Ojisan, don't forget to tell Ran I say goodbye. Please don't let her know what I've done, at least for as long as you can. I'm...I'm sorry." Conan's vision blurred. Mouri became two and then meshed with Megure's figure. The effects of the pill began working. Conan became drowsy, losing oxygen fast. His eyes watered and felt himself chocking. His hands flew up to his neck trying to ease the throbbing pain he was now feeling.

After two tense minutes, Conan's body went limp and fell forward.

"Takagi, Chiba, call the ambulance!" Megure shouted rising into action after feeling numb for so long.

Mouri stood over Conan's body and felt his pulse. "Don't bother, Inspector. It's no good."

This sank into everyone and a deathly silence followed. Each stayed in his place not knowing what to say or do. Finally Mouri looked to Megure and then at everyone, "I trust we can at least keep Conan's request. Let's not have Ran ever figure out what happened in this room."

Everyone nodded. Takagi and Chiba took Conan's limp body through a back door so as to not let Ran see. Satou followed. Mouri asked Inspector Megure to stay for a little while.

"Megure, should I have forced Conan to make a confession like that? He was just a little boy, I'm sure he wouldn't have committed murder again. Maybe we should have left it as an open case and let it slide just once. I don't think I can get over this for some time." Mouri looked at him sadly disturbed about his decision.

"I know what you mean. This was one long day none of can forget but Mouri-kun, sometimes you have to live with it. That's what we policemen have to do. There will always come along a case that will move you to tears and want you to leave the work you do. However, people count on us to keep them safe and to bring justice. Could you live with yourself having Toyama-san's murderer out there and you knew who he was? I never could. We can only dub this as an unfortunate turn of events no one could foresee or stop." Megure patted Mouri's shoulder. He pulled his hat closer to his eyes despaired on how he was going to fill out paperwork on this truly unfortunate case. He left Mouri all alone to his thoughts.

Mouri finally decided Megure was right. Had he not earlier resolved himself that no matter what happened, he would bring to justice Conan's evil deed? He sighed a long sigh. He had no choice but to accept what happened as an unfortunate event and move on, for Ran's sake.

Mouri left wishing this kind of case would not come again for a long, long while.

Mouri met Ran in the hallway waiting outside the room patiently. "Let's go Ran. Time to eat dinner and watch Yoko-chan!" Yes, Yoko-chan would help ease his mind and make him forget as much as possible this terrible day.

"Otousan wait! Who was the murderer?"

Mouri kept walking. "There are times when it's confidential police business. This is one of those times. I promised Megure I wouldn't tell. Don't make me break it Ran."

"Hai." She was upset and she had been curious but her dad was serious and she knew when not to push him. Something bad must have happened to ruin his mood. "Wait Otousan! Aren't you forgetting something? Where's Conan-kun? Is he in the bathroom? We can't just leave him! This police station is big and he's just a little boy, he might get lost."

Mouri stopped and looked back at Ran's inquiring face. "Hmmmm. Who cares about that brat? If you must know, his parents just called saying they want to see him and Takagi just took him to see them. Conan was very happy and left right away. He said he won't be back until he's much, much better. Maybe never."

"Better? Oh! Was something wrong with him? I didn't know."

"Ahhh…no… he was just homesick and really missed them, that's all."

"I see. He didn't say goodbye." Ran seemed upset having come to expect Conan like a little brother.

"Oh, about that. He just called a little while ago giving his apology and said he's very sorry. He just really wanted to see his parents. He says he'll definitely come back so there was no need to say goodbye, you see. Besides, I'm sure he didn't want to see you bawl like a baby." Mouri teased. He didn't have the heart to tell Ran Conan would never be coming back. Not now at least. Maybe he could find a better excuse later on, now he didn't want to think about anything but Yoko-chan.

"I wouldn't cry! Well, not a lot. Ah, I guess Conan-kun is right. I hope he's happy where he is. I'll miss him but I look forward to hearing from him again." Ran smiled. It would be like looking forward to hearing from Shinichi again. She felt a pain in her heart. Why did it seem like she would never hear from Shinichi? _No, _she shook her head. It was because she was upset Conan-kun had left so abruptly. After all, she had come to rely on him quite heavily.

"Don't worry Ran. He's going to be very happy and it's good for him." Mouri quickened his pace. "Now stop worrying. All this talk and I'm hungry here and missing Yoko-chan's new drama! Hurry, hurry Ran this is very important! It's life or death! We do have beer at home, don't we?"

**Awww. I can't believe its finally over! I wanted to extend it a little more but felt that it would just bore the readers. Thanks to all you guys for reviewing! Hope this chapter answered answered your questions. I tried to make it as detailed as possible. Please review! Let me know if this last chapter lived up to its hype. **


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